PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT – 15.09.18

EVICTION CONTINUES, TUNNEL REMAINS, SOLIDARITY IS ACTIVE

Today the eviction of the occupation in the 12,000 Hambach forest continued.
In the northernmost occupation, fittingly named “The North”, police brutally destroyed the homes of the climate-justice activists, which had locked themselves on in order to delay the demolition of the treehouse occupation.
As the day passed, the police ended up “successfully” evicting all of “The North”, including the treehouses Fabacea and Kontiki, and leaving the pieces of the treehouses spread all across the forest floor.

Meanwhile, the police kept working on destroying the Oaktown occupation, bringing down the treehouse Tanit, and beginning the eviction of the common-space of the occupation, the 3-floored Tower.
Besides these, the groundstructure Simona, on which the police have already worked for two days, was taken apart, despite the underground tunnelsystem, in which two people were still locked on.
The tunnel was one of the bigger stories of the day, as the police, despite trying very hard, were still not able to evict the activists from their 10 meter deep chamber.

Throughout the day, the police actively kept national as well as international press at a distance, in order to make it harder for the journalists to give a proper picture of the brutal destruction, and give the activists a voice. Despite this, journalists were able to spread information on the process of the largest police-action in the history of NRW.

Already early in the morning, news about an apparent solidarity action at the Niederaußem coal-power-plant reached us. Here activists erected a tripod, with the banner saying “Hambi bleibt!” (Hambi stays!), and locked on to a conveyor-belt transporting lignite, as well as occupying 3 diggers. This successfully led to the power-plant being brought down to around 20% of its normal capacity.
In and around the occupation, solidarity was also clear to be seen.

Here the action-group Aktion Unterholz arrived with several hundred motivated people, some breaking police-lines and entering the forest, shouting political slogans in support of the occupation, which could be heard by people in the trees, enduring the siege of the police. The action of Aktion Unterholz made a statement against the absurd police-presence, with reference to the city of Chemnitz, where police weeks ago weren’t able to handle extreme-right protesters hunting down immigrants. “Where were you in Chemnitz?!”

Following the example of the last days of eviction, the violent repression directed towards the climate-justice activists was strong.
During the action of Aktion Unterholz, police-officers brutally beat and arrested people, harassed journalists, and even used pepper-spray against demonstrators.
It is estimated that around 30 people were brought to the pre-charge detention centre in Aachen, were supporters outside were awaiting their release, with music, coffee and cake.
Most people brought into the pre-charge detention centre are released within 24 hours.
However, in connection to the eviction of a tripod in the occupied Hambach forest on September 13th, one person was brought into custody jail, for an undefined amount of time. Read more about Andrea (“UP3”) on the blog of ABC Rhineland (https://abcrhineland.blackblogs.org/).
Responsible for the continued violence against activists, journalists and nature, is interior-minister of NRW Herbert Reul (CDU). Despite the wide environmental movement, and the German plans for coal phase-out, Herbert Reul continues to protect the interests of RWE and the coal-lobby with the weapons of the state!

The struggle here continues, and is stronger every day. Although the situation here is tough, we are looking forward to experience individual and collective action of support and solidarity in NRW, Germany, Europe, and all over the world!
Hambi stays, today and forever!

Continue ReadingPRESS ANNOUNCEMENT – 15.09.18

PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT 13.09.18

EVICTION IN THE HAMBACH FOREST CONTINUES, POLICE AND RWE ENDANGERS LIVES OF ACTIVISTS

Today the police continued the largest police deployment in the history of the state of NRW, the evictions in the 12,000 year old Hambach forest.

Early in the morning police entered Oaktown and Gallien and began cutting several trees and evicting treehouses.

Throughout the day the police cut down around 40 trees in and around Gallien, pulled out the stumps and roots left behind, and filled the holes with sand, to make it unclear, how big the trees were.

In the treehouses Pyra and Mona, in the Oaktown occupation, activists locked themselves on to concrete blocks under the floors, to postpone the eviction as far as possible. The eviction of these treehouses, that were some of the oldest in the occupation, and for a long time been home to the activists, took several hours.

To reach the treehouses, the police felled several trees, and cut off large parts of the crowns, close to traverses, in which activists where hanging.

At this point activists made it official, that under the hut Simona, a tunnelsystem, in which several people were locked on, was to be found.

Even though many activists made it explicitly clear, that the use of heavy vehicles in the area, would put the lives of the people below in danger, police continued to drive around heavy eviction-equipment in the area.

Besides this, the police let the engines of the machines keep running, close to the ventilation of the tunnelsystem, furtherly endangering the activists.

Also in the so-called „North“, another treehouse-village, the police continued their activity, and attempted to evict an unsecured activist from a skypod.

Here they felled trees close to the ropes on which the skypod was hanging, another life-threatening situation.

The action of the police, which ironically is based on „a lack of safety in the treehouses“, is bringing activists in the Hambach forest occupation into increasingly dangerous situation, and continually threatening the lives of the people.

Responsible for the this insanity continuing, is the interior minister of NRW Herbert Reul (CDU), who supports energy-giant RWE with the weapons of the state, treads down the rights of human and nature, showing his priority of profit over the well-being of people.

Therefore, we are demanding, that the police immediately removes the state of „danger-zone“, that is threatening the lives of people, and has already killed animals and plants, and leaves the area!

Today many people also showed their solidarity with the occupation.

In Buir a demonstration of hundreds took place, and in other cities all over Germany and Europe, demonstrations and actions took place. For example the NRW county-department in Berlin was occupied by activists from EndeGelände. Activists also occupied a „Deutsche Bank“, and in Düren the Green Youth organized a solidarity-concert

The movement for the preservation of the Hambach Forest is growing ever wider, and we will keep occupying the forest, standing in opposition to RWE, and fighting for life! Hambi stays, today and forever!

Continue ReadingPRESS ANNOUNCEMENT 13.09.18

Press Release 09/13/2018

MASS EVICTION OF FOREST OCCUPATION, LARGE SOLIDARITY PROTESTS

Today the struggle for the Hambacher Forst reached a long awaited climax.

Early in the morning the police gathered its forces from all over the state, and alongside Special Deployment Commando (SEK, German SWAT teams), several eviction-tanks, water-canons, climbing-officers, and technical units, started preparing for their biggest escalation so far, the continuation of eviction of the climate-justice occupation camp in the 12,000 year old forest.
It was clear from the beginning, as information had also reached us the day before, that the early hours would bring with it the deployment of the largest police action in the history of the state of NRW.

Entering the forest from the Secu-road at the eastern entrance, by the Deathtrap/Lollipop occupation, the police had to first evict a sitting blockade of catholic pilgrims, before they could even begin the eviction of the first barricade, which, once begun, took several hours. After having arrested the occupiers of the first barricades, a tripod and a monopod, and violently attacking a protester, they were able to continue with the eviction of the two treehouses at the entrance, Deathtrap and Lollipop. Shortly after the break of noon, the police entered at the northernmost occupation, fittingly named The North, and began evicting people from hammocks, as well as treehouses. The eviction continued through the day, with police being strongly present in all parts of the occupied forest.

In protest of the eviction of the forest occupation, the violent escalation of the police, and the cutting of the forest, despite the formerly announced cutting-stop supposed to last until October 14th, a demonstration of 1600 people walked from the nearby village of Buir towards the forest. A wide spectrum of people, from all over the region, children as well as seniors, showed a strong sign of solidarity with the campaign for the preservation of the forest, and the climate-justice occupation camp. As the demonstration reached the Mahnwache, a smaller protest “headquarters”, the police forbade it to continue. Despite the orders of the police, the demonstration continued to walk towards the Meadowcamp outside the forest, where a group of around a hundred people, in support of the civil disobedience campaign Aktion Unterholz, broke through police lines and entered the forest, in order to block police and RWE equipment, and spread out their ressources.

Despite the eviction of encampments in the occupied forest, the arrest of several activists, and the destruction of parts of the unique eco-system in the forest, the message of the day was as clear as a bonfire in the night: the movement is strong, will keep struggling against the injustice of the state of NRW and energy-giant RWE, and will definitely continue acting for climate justice in the Rheinish lignite-mining area, and all over Germany!

Continue ReadingPress Release 09/13/2018

List of demands from autonomous activists in the Hambi

The occupation here is strong and diverse, and although we have different perspectives, ideologies and tactics, we (an autonomous group of activists in the forest occupation) have chosen to give a list of demands. These demands are directed towards the fossil-fuel fuckers of RWE and the CO2rrupt government of Northrhine-Westphalia.

1. An immediate end to the eviction of the Hambach Forest occupation, and all other autonomous zones.
2. An immediate end to the destruction of the unique ecosystems in the 12,000 Hambach Forest.
3. An immediate end to the destruction of villages, landscapes and agricultural lands around the RWE owned Rheinland open-pit lignite mines.
4. An immediate end to the extraction of lignite coal.
5. An immediate end to the capitalist exploitation in Germany and worldwide.
6. An immediate end to the environmental racism of fossil-fueled colonialism.

We are fully aware, that these demands will not be fulfilled, as the parties involved (RWE, NRW, and the ruling-class worldwide) have no interest in abolishing techno-industrial capitalism. Nonetheless, we will not only fight for what is “possible” or “realistic”, we we will fight for what is “radical”, “utopic” and “just”!

No more compromises, climate justice NOW!

Continue ReadingList of demands from autonomous activists in the Hambi